


Who we are

by Clovermun



Category: Villainous (Cartoon)
Genre: Also hope you don't mind me making the au way angstier than it needs to be, BH and Flug are engaged, Cause that's this whole fic, Flug and Demencia are there only briefly, Heroic, Heroic au, I'm Sorry, IMSORRY, Like it's totally canon, M/M, TheMcNobody's Heroic AU, good shit, implied paperhat
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-17
Updated: 2017-11-11
Packaged: 2018-12-30 15:50:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12112071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Clovermun/pseuds/Clovermun
Summary: A different take on how White Hat and his crew came to be. Edgy edition."It was that day again. The day marked with a sloppy X on the calendar. It came hurtling out of the blue, as if everyone had forgotten about it by the end of each year. But this year, Slug had decided not to forget."





	1. Did I ever tell you that

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Themcnobody](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Themcnobody/gifts).



It was that day again. The day marked with a sloppy X on the calendar. It came hurtling out of the blue, as if everyone had forgotten about it by the end of each year. But this year, Slug had decided not to forget. White Hat had disappeared into his office like he did every other time this day came around. Sometimes it lasted for days, sometimes a week, and on occasion even an entire month. It got Clemencia worried as all hell, which was honestly a relief to the scientist as it got her off his case for a while. He could actually get some work done without everyone else bugging him. But even so, worry insistently overtook him. As much as he hated to admit it--and in fact had never admitted it to anyone--he cared quite a bit for White Hat. Whether it was love or not he wouldn’t know. He had never experienced that before. But regardless, being kept in the dark like this was proving to be difficult for him. Slug fumbled with his screwdriver for a moment before finally completing the ray that he’d been struggling with for so long. It couldn’t be because he was thinking about his employer. No! He was a villain. The ailments of some hero were of no consequence to Slug, whether he worked under him or not. And yet every time he told himself he didn’t care it got harder and harder to believe.

After the third crumpled up blueprint thrown in the trash he finally caved in. Alright. That was it. Slug pulled out his computer and started to type in the date. What the hell could be going on every year to make his boss so upset? White Hat rarely got upset over anything.

What he saw only served to confuse him further.

It was the day that White Hat had first appeared.

It had been a long time now, hours of researching all this. The more he read, the less it made sense. It was time that he got answers from the man himself. So with a lengthy sigh Slug stood up and stepped out of the lab.

 

\---

 

“What is it?”

Came a tired voice, responding to Slug's knock at the door to White Hat’s office. Slug let his gloved hand drop and crossed his arms to feign irritance, though he knew nobody could see him and even if they did, wouldn’t particularly care.

“We need to talk.”

He replied coolly, awaiting some half-assed excuse about why his employer couldn’t leave his room. None came. Instead, the door opened wide. An exhausted looking White Hat stood in the doorway. He almost yanked Slug inside before locking the door behind them. The doctor took this opportunity to look over him. He wore the same top hat and coat, but his gloves were much longer than usual and his patch was slightly larger as well. These were things that most people would never notice about someone else’s appearance--save for Clemencia, perhaps--but Slug's hyperactive mind couldn’t help but take in every last detail. More noticeably his dress shoes were scuffed and his clothes wrinkled like paper that had been crumpled up then halfheartedly smoothed out again. It was with great hesitance that White Hat finally broke the silence.

“Come, sit.”

His signature smile had vanished the moment they were completely alone, replaced by an exhausted grimace. The pair then sat across from each other only to partake in another bout of uncomfortable muteness.

“It’s that day,”

Slug commented dryly. This was met with a feigned smile.

“It’s that day.”

Was the only reply.

“I don’t suppose,” White Hat began, straightening, “that I ever told you who you are?”

The scientist blinked, shaking his head.

“What are you going on about? I’m just  _ me _ . I know who I am. I’m some dime-a-dozen villain that got captured and stuck with your sorry ass.”

White Hat winced visibly, muttering a quiet ‘language’ under his breath. He paused for a moment. Slowly, he took a key out from his coat pocket and reached down to unlock a drawer in his desk. Slug was unable to view its contents from where he was sitting, but his curiosity was soon to be at least partially fulfilled. White Hat set a picture down on the desk and turned it towards Slug so he could see. What he saw left him utterly baffled.

Two men stood side by side in front of a strange top-hat shaped building that looked oddly like the one he currently occupied. The longer he looked at it, the more familiar things he picked up on. A grey-skinned man with a black suit and cane, sharp-toothed grin directed at the camera as if he was staring into the soul of the viewer. It was unnerving. But most bewildering of all was the man next to him. He was shorter, dressed in a lab coat and jeans… and wearing a bag over his head. Without meaning to he found himself muttering a name that somehow sounded familiar.

“Black Hat…”

Slug looked up from the picture.

“Why do I know that name? Why does it sound familiar? And…”

White Hat winced, mouth opening and closing as he tried to find an answer. He was in no way prepared for this. He knew he’d have to tell someone eventually, but he hadn’t expected it to be so soon. Then again, what wouldn’t feel soon to him with something like this? The eldritch adjusted the patch on his eye and tried to meet Slug's gaze. For once, he couldn’t.

“That-...”

His gloved finger settled on the bagged man in the picture.

“He made you.”

This left Slug speechless. Made him? He was a person! People couldn’t just be  _ made _ ! That wasn’t how things worked!

“You were… Slug, please calm down. This isn’t even-…”

He cut himself off and started anew.

“I need you to stay with me for this. It’s hard enough as is.”

Hesitantly, Slug nodded and let the other continue.

“I need to tell you a story. It’s going to be a long story, but it should answer all your questions.”

He shut his eye and let his hands rest on the picture.

“I’m going to tell you who we are.”


	2. From the Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The story begins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FUCK IT IM POSTING BOTH CHAPTERS

_ “It all started about a year ago…” _

 

He was too late. He hadn't found them in time. 

Black Hat kicked the wall hard enough to break through it completely. He didn't care that he got blood on his dress shoes. He didn't care about anything right now. The eldritch collapsed to the ground and just… screamed. He screamed until his mouth was dry and his chest hurt, until his throat felt scraped and he could taste his own bitter blood. He spat it out on the ground and tried to hold back the tears that he knew were coming. 

“ **It’s not fair…** ”

He muttered. 

_ All's fair in love and war, amorcito.  _

The voice echoed in his mind. He clutched at his head until his claws dug into his flesh. He didn't bother to let the injuries heal. Black Hat stumbled over to what was left of his fiancé, burying his face in the other’s coat. He had proposed just a few days ago. This all happened so fast, just when things were going right! And now he was alone. 

“ **I love you…** ”

He breathed, his resolve finally snapping as the floodgates opened. Tears poured from his eyes and he let out a sob. He didn't even notice the footsteps coming up behind him until the other spoke. 

“So he does have feelings, hm? The infamous Black Hat, crying on the floor.”

The villain’s breath caught in his throat. Holding the body close, he turned around to glare weakly at the hero behind him.

“ **J-Just fuck off. Aren't you supposed to have c-... compassion or something?** ”

He was barely able to muster a drop of hostility. 

“No one mourns the wicked. Surely you know that.”

Adjusting his gaudy mask, the hero flashed a cruel smile. He really didn't care… Black Hat’s breaths quickened and his grip on Flug tightened.

“ **Just l-leave me alone…** ”

“I think not.”

A new voice this time. Something was snapped around his neck. He tried to shapeshift into something or summon his magic, but nothing happened. Had they finally found a way to nullify his powers, after all these years? In hindsight he probably should have seen it coming. Black Hat reached tentatively for what had to be a collar, pulling back sharply when he felt a shock. 

“ **F-Fuck you…** ”

He muttered weakly. Hands clamped around his shoulders and they tried to pry him away from his lover’s body but he wouldn't let them. Tears began to flow again, soaking into that familiar blue shirt. The ring on his finger glinted in the light and renewed his struggle, the eldritch trying desperately to tear himself away.

“ **GET OFF OF ME!** ”

Nothing. They didn't stop. He couldn't even resist them, they were so strong. Damned hero must’ve had super strength. He felt Flug get ripped from his arms and his body trembled. He stopped resisting altogether. Black Hat’s limp form was dragged across the cold floor and tossed into the back of a car, where his hands and feet were sloppily chained together. And then, they drove away.

 

\---

 

“He never saw Flug again.”

Slug looked up at White Hat in confusion.

“Why are you telling me all this? I don't understand how this relates to-”

“You'll get it when I'm done. Everything will make sense, I promise.”

The scientist glanced away.

“You promise a lot of things.”

 

\---

 

Black Hat woke up secured to a chair in the middle of some dark room. How stereotypical. His mind was still numb with grief. The collar felt heavy around his neck. 

“I see you're awake.”

A familiar voice spoke. The head of the heroes’ association, or whatever they called it nowadays. His slicked back bronze hair glinted in the single fluorescent light that hung above Black Hat’s head. Surprisingly enough he wasn't in his uniform. He was just in casual attire. The only sign that he was a hero at all was the symbol embroidered on his breast pocket. It was cheesy enough. Just an H in a diamond shape similar to the symbol for Superman. What ripoffs. Black Hat looked the other over in as casual a manner he could manage, which wasn't all that much. He looked like a pitiful mess.

“ **What do you want.** ”

He had barely even moved since he awoke--not that he really could if he tried. His wrists were strapped to the armrests, and his ankles to the lower part of the chair. It reminded him of some torture device minus the spikes. 

“I have a proposal,” 

The hero replied. 

“I'm going to give you a new chance at life. We can use your DNA to… reverse you. To change you completely. You'll be reformed.”

Black Hat growled.

“ **You want me to just let you toy with me to create your perfect little poster boy?** ”

“In essence, yes.”

Wow. He didn't even sugarcoat it. That was a surprise. Heroes were the masters of sugarcoating things until their voices dripped like syrup and even murder seemed not so bad.

“ **And why the hell would I agree to that, after all that you've done?** ”

The hero laughed. 

“What do you have left? You're alone. You don't have any employees, any friends, supporters, anyone to rescue you. You've only got us. Besides, I'm giving you the chance to do this of your own accord. You know that we can do whatever we want with you.”

He paced in circles around the villain. 

“Your dignity is gone. Your capture is all over the news. Everyone knows about it. Everyone knows how you collapsed like a ragdoll along with the rubble of your company.”

Black Hat’s body began to tremble and he glanced towards the floor, refusing to meet the other’s eye. 

“ **Shut up.** ”

Laughter filled the room, followed by footsteps heading towards the door. The eldritch still didn’t look up. He didn’t care. He didn’t care about anything anymore. Or at least, that was what he told himself.

“I’ll give you some time to consider my… ‘offer’.”

The door clicked shut, and he was alone.

 

\---

 

“I don’t get it. How do you know all of this?”

Slug had begun to piece it together. He was just hoping that he was wrong. That couldn’t be true! It made no sense, and yet it made all too much.

“You’ll understand later.”

The scientist tensed, then slammed his fists onto the desk, causing White Hat to flinch.

“I don’t want to wait until  _ later _ ! You could explain this in just a few sentences and we both know it.”

White Hat looked away. He could explain it all too easily, but at the same time it was just too hard. He wasn’t ready to say it outright. It just felt disrespectful, to ignore everything that had happened for the sake of simplicity. 

“It doesn’t make sense to me either… but I just can’t. Please, just humor me.”

Slug sighed and slumped back in his chair.

“Fine.”


	3. Biting the Bullet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let the fun begin.

What else could he do? Black Hat again struggled weakly against the bonds, but of course to no avail. He was stuck. No matter what he did or said, he was going to be changed for good. He was going to lose himself. The man that loved, that lived, that killed… Was going to be gone. He’d be lying if he said it didn’t absolutely terrify him, the thought of suddenly not existing, and yet not being dead. A prisoner in his own body. Or maybe they’d just make some clone of him and kill the original. That would be better. At least then he’d die himself. He’d be able to join his companions in a new world. With the way that things were, it was all he could really ask for. Once again he could feel tears rolling down his face and dripping from his chin onto his tattered suit. It felt like his dignity was leaking from his eyes. That pride and glamour he had been known for for centuries was leaking away. 

It felt like years that he had been locked in the room, in that same chair, thinking. Long enough for his fear to become numb acceptance. Nothing mattered anymore. He didn’t feel like himself. He didn’t feel like anyone. It was at this time that the hero finally returned. Black Hat thought him to be a mirage at first. It didn’t seem like anyone was ever planning to come back. They just wanted him to suffer for all of eternity as punishment for his actions. Like killing his fiancé wasn’t enough. 

“Have you made your decision?”

His eye lazily drifted in the direction of the voice. The outline of the hero was faint, and there seemed to be some other people behind him that Black Hat couldn’t quite make out. They were probably there to force him into submission should he deny the ‘offer’ that had been set before him. 

“ **Am I ready to disappear, you mean.** ”

The eldritch replied in a near monotone. Nobody spoke up to deny it. A painful silence filled the room. It lasted a long while before Black Hat spoke up, voice tired and nigh emotionless.

“ **I am.** ”

“Good, good.”

The other replied, making a small gesture. The group of people that had been standing behind him made their way towards the lone chair, finally revealing themselves. It was a group of doctors and scientists dressed in alternating white labcoats and scrubs, some of them holding clipboards while others were empty handed. They carefully undid the binds and helped him up with little resistance. The eldritch almost collapsed to the ground when he first stood. It had been so long since he had been on his feet. How long, he couldn’t say. Long enough. With the support of two doctors he was removed from the dark room. 

Black Hat couldn’t help but hiss in pain at the bright lights of the subsequent hallway, squinting and stopping in his tracks. Surprisingly enough the doctors gave him a little time to adjust before moving on. They passed room after room before they finally stopped at a dull blue door labeled 42A. He was sat down on an examination table, doctors and nurses splayed about him. One of them moved towards a cabinet and fetched a vial of sorts. The cloudy fluid was drawn into a needle. Flicking it to rid it of the bubbles, the nameless doctor approached.   
“First we have to test how your system will react to the human hormones oxytocin and dopamine. They might not counter the other hormones in your brain but they should have some effect if your system is similar enough to…”

After a while Black Hat stopped listening, if he had ever been listening in the first place. It just didn’t really matter to him. He didn’t care. Whatever it was, the injection didn’t hurt all that much. 

Well, it didn’t at first.

It took a few minutes for the effects to kick in. It felt nice, almost, as much as he tried to fight it. But not long after that his vision began to blur and flicker in and out. His extremities felt numb and tingling. The next thing he knew he was on the floor and the room was empty. Or at least, that was what it seemed like. He fumbled over words and tried to call out but couldn’t come up with any comprehensible phrases. Every action that he took seemed to happen a couple moments after he thought of doing it, like there was some sort of lag in his system. Black Hat growled in frustration, trying to understand the vague murmuring he could hear around him. Someone snapped in his face as if trying to get his attention.

“Black Hat. Blink twice if you can hear me.”

With a little difficulty, he blinked twice in rapid succession.

“You just had a seizure.”

A seizure? He barely remembered what the word meant. Wasn’t it a human thing? Ugh, he felt so sluggish. Was that why everyone was backed up against the walls? Or something like that, since he couldn’t see them. No matter.

“ **Jushel… up.** ”

He managed, words slurred and slow. It took a moment but the doctor understood what he was saying and gestured for the others to come over.

“Come on and help him back onto the bed.”

The eldritch felt himself be lifted up and set back onto the bed, almost immediately collapsing back onto it. Jeez, he could barely move. Whatever a seizure was, it was sure an inconvenience. He felt sore, too. Like he had gotten beaten with a damn baseball bat. He heard someone start speaking again and tried to focus on their voice.

“You’ll be under twenty-four hour surveillance, just to make sure that doesn’t happen again.”

He didn’t even have the energy to nod.

Black Hat couldn’t remember when exactly he fell asleep. Everything had been a blur ever since that ‘seizure’ occurred. He sat up slightly and looked around. The room hadn’t changed all that much from how it had been before he passed out. Something caught his eye and he froze completely. A white lab coat. That ungodly bright blue shirt that always hurt his eyes, decorated with a decal of a crashing plane. He had always wondered why the other liked to remind himself of his past. And those bright red shoes that somehow remained without a scuff the majority of the time.

“ **F-…** ”

He couldn't finish the name. He reached a hand out, a pained expression on his face. Could this be real? It had to be an illusion but he just so wanted it to be a reality that he could only hope that by some divine blessing his dear had been brought back to him although that was a notion so absurd—

“You're awake.”

His hand dropped. That wasn't the right voice. In a blink the mirage was gone, leaving some stranger in its place. Some harbinger of chaos. A symbol of this cruel reality. The eldritch bit his bottom lip hard enough to puncture the skin and tried not to cry. Forcing his features to relax, he gave a curt nod. All he could hope was that the procedures would continue immediately so that he could forget it all again. The pain of loss was hitting him at full force just like it had god knows how long ago. He could still remember the air, redolent of blood and ash, so heavy with the aura of death as he cradled the still warm body in his arms. Black Hat’s breath caught in his throat. 

The doctor did not ask if he was well.


	4. If at First you Don't Succeed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a breakthrough is made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! Huzzah! Let's see how long this lasts shall we? I'm working on chapter 5 so we'll see how that goes.

With every day that passed, Black Hat found that he felt less and less like himself. His very sense of self was collapsing before his eyes and there was nothing that he could do to stop it. Then again, in all honesty, this was something that he should have expected from the very beginning. The mission of this cruel project was to rid the eldritch of everything that made him who he was. Dammit, why did he ever agree to this? Every time he felt a surge of the godforsaken ‘happiness’ or ‘hope’ he felt sick to his stomach for hours afterwards. It didn’t feel right. How dare he be happy in a world without Flug? It wasn’t right. He didn’t deserve to be happy after letting someone so important to him die.

No, why was he thinking like that? He was the great Black Hat! He wasn’t supposed to be pulled down by anyone!

With every injection, every test, every pill, it became harder to distinguish who he was and used to be. The loving fiance to a brilliant scientist? The cruel kingpin of the villain world? The grumpy employer of insolent outcasts? Every break he had he just became more confused. More lost. And the more lost he got, the more frustrated with himself he became. It was a never ending spiral, fighting between confusion, mourning and pride.

After what felt like forever he was once more taken out of the solitary room he had learned to call home. They sat the eldritch down on yet another operation table, skipping all of the routine tests completely. The single doctor in the room with him pulled out a syringe of clear liquid, ordering him to hold out his arm so it could be injected. Black Hat ignored the millions of voices in his head saying otherwise, including Flug’s own that made him wince and wish to the stars to be anything but alive, and did as told. He sat in silence for a long time with seemingly no effect, just waiting. Waiting for everything to collapse. It was at least fifteen minutes in that anything truly happened. That infernal ‘happiness’ leaked into his mind, swallowing his emotions. His entire body tensed as he instinctively tried to resist it, but the damned thing was just too strong. Slowly, he relaxed. And for the first time in years… he smiled.

“Greetings,”

The doctor spoke with a smile.

“White Hat.”

 

\---

 

“You’ve got to be shitting me.”

Slug snapped, bag crinkling as he dragged a hand down his face. This couldn’t be real.

“You’re telling me that  _ you _ , the most famed, harmless, naive, idiotic fucking hero in the world—”

“Was Black Hat, yes.”

His employer replied smoothly, hands folded in front of him on the desk. The insults didn’t seem to bother him, nor did the language. It wasn’t the time to scold anyone. This was an important moment that he refused to interrupt with some petty lesson that could just as easily be taught later. Slug had sought him out, and he intended to finish what he should have begun a long time ago.

“I don’t get it. I don’t get how nobody figured this out when it seems so damn obvious!”

“Not truly. The idea of a brother was far more likely in the eyes of the public. Besides, you didn’t figure it out, did you?”

The scientist sighed. There was nothing he could say to that. It was silent for a long time before he spoke again.

“Do you miss him?”

White Hat raised a brow. His bagged companion shifted uncomfortably.

“Black Hat, I mean.”

The eldritch looked down at the photo he had passed towards Slug, down at the dapper clothed villain that remained front and center. His feelings towards Black Hat. Something he had hidden, even from himself, for a long time. As such an empathetic hero he couldn’t help but feel…  _ guilty _ … for being in someone else’s body, even if it was someone who had caused so much damage. And yet, what would happen if he admitted that? He didn’t want to know. And as such White Hat had always dodged the questions about his ‘brother’ from the press with jokes or other information that he knew they’d find more interesting or at least equally so. But now that he was forced to face the reality, he just didn’t know what to say. Did he miss Black Hat?

“I don’t know.”

From his coat pocket he pulled out a syringe, setting it on the desk in front of him and rolling it up and down the surface. He shook his head and simply repeated his words.

“I don’t… know.”

He didn’t like it, not knowing. Not having an answer to such an important question, something that he should know like the back of his hand. Why had he avoided thinking about it for so long? He knew he’d have to face it eventually and yet he just… tried not to. It was an idiotic decision. Silence hung heavy in the air for a while, interrupted only by the monotone rolling of the syringe on the wooden desk. He didn’t know.


	5. Petty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a desk is broken, and so is Slug's psyche.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Your chapter is served~

Petty crime. That was the life of Slug Slys. It was all that he knew. Ever since he had awoke, abandoned in some basement with an inscrutable note, he had depended on himself and himself alone for survival. He had used the abandoned manor for a base for a while, helping himself to the materials he found in a lab upstairs to make weaponry that may come of use. But eventually people began to flock to the area and some kind of museum was constructed that drove him out soon enough. Living on the streets and pickpocketing unlikely suspects became his new way of life. Ever so slowly it grew more and more extreme. Robberies, kidnappings, and eventually work as a well-paid assassin. Once your name becomes well known amongst criminals and villains, it doesn’t usually take long for the police to get to you. The important question is if you’re strong enough to fight them off. Slug wasn’t accustomed to an unfair fight—especially not one against several top ranking heroes that he had never seen in his life. He just didn’t have the information to defeat them. And so it wasn’t long before he ended up with a life sentence in a high security prison.

That is, that’s what he would have been sentenced to.

When White Hat caught wind of a certain bagged criminal, the news immediately caught his interest. It was certainly not something he was going to leave alone. As such when he discovered that said criminal had been captured, he immediately tried to find a way to claim custody. He suggested that the man serve him as a form of community service and rehabilitation—a notion that the police department reluctantly agreed to. Naturally Slug himself wasn’t particularly ecstatic about this new development. He was going to be stuck with some goody two shoes hero for the rest of his life. Even after several failed escape attempts, the eldritch was insufferably patient. He just couldn’t get the damned thing to snap. No anger, no nothing. If anything, all he was shown was disappointment and…  _ ugh _ … sympathy. As such, it wasn’t long before he stopped trying at things that wouldn’t get him anywhere. There were a lot more safety regulations on the inventions that he created now, especially when it came to the target—something that frustrated him immensely. Why would it matter how much the person on the other end of the barrel got hurt? One of the most exceedingly bothersome attributes of a hero—the belief in retribution. True, that was what granted him his limited freedom, but sometimes he didn’t even want  _ that _ , so it wasn’t like he was going to support heroes in their idiotic endeavors to ‘save’ some ‘poor, misguided innocents’. 

Alas, despite all his qualms, here he was. Stuck with White Hat. Once he got used to it, it wasn’t  _ all _ that bad. He had access to all the materials he could ask for, given as much time as he needed, and he was barely punished if he did anything wrong—though the long talks and disappointed looks did get rather irritating and cumbersome after a while. Bit by bit he reluctantly let himself be trained into the beginnings of a ‘true hero’, creating useless toys that heroes liked to call weapons. He could probably give them BB guns and nobody would notice or care. A rather entertaining thought.

It had been a while since Slug last thought of the strange gap in his memory. He had never had a childhood or parents. He had just woken up as an adult in the basement of the kingpin of villains. And somehow, throughout his whole life he had never questioned that.

Until now.

 

\---

 

“You’re telling me… I’m a clone?”

And on top of that, a  _ failed _ one. Slug was dumbfounded. What could he even say to that? A clone. A fucking clone. Did that mean—

“You just keep me because I remind you of  _ Flug _ , don’t you?”

He all but hissed, causing White Hat to wince and raise his hands defensively.

“I-I—”

“I’m just some—some  _ replacement _ and that’s all I’ve ever been! I’ll bet if  _ he _ was still here, none of this  _ ever _ would’ve happened. I’d still be in fucking  _ prison _ because you wouldn’t need me if you had  _ him _ ! ISN’T THAT RIGHT?!”

The eldritch had shrunk back into his chair at this point, whimpering softly.   
“D-Don’t say his name… Please…”

“Flug.”

“Stop…”

“Flug.”

White Hat covered his face with his hands.

“Flug! Flug Flug Flug Flug Flug Flug—”

“ _ STOP IT! _ ”

Slug stared in shock. The desk had snapped in half under the force of White Hat’s fists, everything on its surface falling to the carpet with a dull thud. Both of them were silent for a long time. Then, without a word, Slug got up and left the room.

 

\---

 

Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.

Slug slammed his head into his desk over and over again. He had lost track of how long he’d been doing it at this point. A while. That was all he could say.

“Sluggy? Are you okay?”

He looked up upon hearing a familiar voice. Clemencia. What was she doing here?Then again, what would she  _ not _ be doing there? She was constantly entering the lab on a mission to ‘help’ him out with his projects. Why did she have to have such bad timing? Or maybe it was perfect timing. He didn’t even know at this point. What he wanted and what he needed most likely weren’t the same anymore.

“Do I look okay to you?”

He snapped, glaring at her through his goggles. His bag was crinkled beyond recognition, now more rounded than rectangular, and the area below his goggles was visibly dampened.

“Oh jeez… what happened? C’mon bro, talk to me.”

The hybrid pulled up a chair, sitting down beside him.

“I talked to White Hat—”

Clemencia squealed involuntarily, causing Slug to let out a frustrated groan.

“Sorry.”

She mumbled hastily, motioning for him to continue.

“He just—he told me some things, and… I don’t know what to believe anymore. I don’t know what I  _ want _ to believe.”

“What did he tell you? If you want to say.”

The scientist sighed.

“I don’t know how much I can even bring myself to repeat. I’m… I’m a—…”

He trailed off and shook his head. He just couldn’t say it. It was so confusing and upsetting that the words couldn’t make it from his head to his mouth. All he wanted to do was hide in a hole until the world forgot about him and he forgot about the world.

“Hey…”

Clemencia said softly, putting a hand on his shoulder.

“No matter what you found out, no matter what you are, you’re still family. Okay?”

He nodded shakily, body trembling for a moment before he threw himself into her arms. Normally he hated touch with a passion but he just needed it right now more than anything. Clemencia rubbed his back, murmuring soothing phrases as he sobbed into her shoulder.

“Hey, hey… It’s going to be alright. You’re okay… Everything’s okay…”

They both knew it was a lie.


End file.
